After last year’s cancellation, the annual Fourth of July festival wasn’t quite back to normal, but it was close.
Children on board the Wood City Preschool float beam as they go down the center of Cloquet Avenue during the Fourth of July parade on Sunday, July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
Crowds filled the streets of downtown Cloquet on Sunday, July 4, as people came back out to celebrate after a year of pandemic cancellations.
Despite the 90 degree temperatures, with lawn chairs and sunscreen in hand, community members seemed determined to make the most of the day’s festivities.
The day was off to an early start with the Sawdust 5k Run/Walk, which began at 8 a.m., and was followed by the Sawdust 1-Miler Run, a car show, a parade and basketball scrimmages — oh, and of course, fireworks planned for dusk.
The parade's grand marshals were health care workers, whose float was followed by a drum performance from the Cloquet Community Band.
“It’s nice to see a lot of people out having a good time,” longtime Cloquet resident Carmen Krew said.
Krew said she thought many people took public events for granted prior to the pandemic and said she was trying to make the most out of this year’s Fourth of July.
The same seemed to ring true for others, with children scrambling after candy during the parade and adults beaming in the sunlight.
“So much fun,” was the phrase used by Katie Walkowiak to describe the day.
Walkowiak and her son, Alexander Nordin, were there to watch Walkowiak’s daughter dance in the parade with Shooting Stars Dance studio. Although, Alexander, 11, seemed to be content with candy as he waited intently for the next wave of treats to hit the pavement.
Spectators patiently wait for candy to be thrown from floats during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on Sunday, July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
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Along with candy, water was another treat given out, as people on some parade floats gleefully sprayed the crowd with water guns. The Ed Oman Construction float crew even splashed water from a pool as they drove through the street.
The crowd also found other ways to keep cool. Tami and Craig Meseroll said they arrived 40 minutes early to get prime real estate under the shade of a tree. Those with a similar idea found shelter from the sun under the awnings of some Cloquet Avenue businesses, while others got creative.
Heather Koski attached an umbrella to her lawn chair to get some relief from the heat. While Koski said her children were enjoying the parade, she wished there had been more activities available, such as the bouncy house that has made an appearance in past years.
Nevaeh Kirk, 5, watches as the Cloquet Area Fire District trucks drive past her during Cloquet's Fourth of July parade on Sunday, July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
Even with this absence, the day's events seemed to leave its crowd with smiles on their faces.
The car show, hosted at the Northeastern Grill & Saloon, also drew a range of spectators, with vehicles stationed throughout the street and parking lot.
“It’s nice to be back after COVID,” Burt Whittington, owner of the Northeastern, said.
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According to Whittington, this year’s show was the 18th event, and while it wasn’t as large as usual, he was grateful for the turnout after being closed for almost a year.
“It’s coming back,” he said.
Addison Grover, 5, runs towards a piece of candy during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on Sunday, July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
Ricky Defoe and his grandson, Jaxon Sherer, were also out at the car show. Defoe grew up around cars and said the show brought back a feeling of nostalgia.
“We can’t miss this car show,” he said. “It brings back them younger days that we long for.”
Defoe said it was nice seeing people having fun and having hope again.
“We’re loving it,” he said. “We’re gonna take it all in.”
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Ricky Defoe and his grandson, Jaxon Sherer, inspect a car at the Northeastern Saloon & Grille Car Show in Cloquet on Sunday, July 4, 2021. Defoe said the event gave him a sense of nostalgia, reminding him of his family's interest in cars. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnsn@pinejournal.com)
This story was updated at 9:07 a.m. July 9 to correct information about the Cloquet Community Band. It was originally posted at 3:34 p.m. July 4. The Pine Journal regrets the error.
1/6: Representatives from the Health Star Home Health and First Nations Home Health parade float walk down the Cloquet Avenue during the Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
2/6: Zoe Jazdzewski (left) and Jamie Jazdzewski take their final strides towards the finish line of the Sawdust 1-Miler Run in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. Runners were given frozen icees and rounds of applause as they crossed the finish line just before the start of the Fourth of July parade. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
3/6: A representative from the Ed Oman Construction parade float smiles as he shoots water at spectators during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
4/6: Paul Theisen helps his grandson, Kold Mcnulty, pick up a toy car from the street during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
5/6: Greg Scholz stands with his 1914 Model T4 at the Northeaster Saloon & Grille Car Show in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. The car has been handed down in Scholz's family throughout the years. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
6/6: Shawna Udenberg stands with her 2012 Dodge Challenger at the Northeaster Saloon & Grille Car Show in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. The show was Udenberg's first year coming to the car show in Cloquet. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
1/6: Representatives from the Health Star Home Health and First Nations Home Health parade float walk down the Cloquet Avenue during the Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
2/6: Zoe Jazdzewski (left) and Jamie Jazdzewski take their final strides towards the finish line of the Sawdust 1-Miler Run in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. Runners were given frozen icees and rounds of applause as they crossed the finish line just before the start of the Fourth of July parade. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
3/6: A representative from the Ed Oman Construction parade float smiles as he shoots water at spectators during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
4/6: Paul Theisen helps his grandson, Kold Mcnulty, pick up a toy car from the street during the Cloquet Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2021. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
5/6: Greg Scholz stands with his 1914 Model T4 at the Northeaster Saloon & Grille Car Show in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. The car has been handed down in Scholz's family throughout the years. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
6/6: Shawna Udenberg stands with her 2012 Dodge Challenger at the Northeaster Saloon & Grille Car Show in Cloquet on July 4, 2021. The show was Udenberg's first year coming to the car show in Cloquet. (Izabel Johnson / ijohnson@pinejournal.com)
